"Cheers to a New Year and another chance to get it right."Oprah Winfrey
Headlines
- Regional Economy $400 Million Stronger Due to A-B Tech
- Culinary Team Wins Thirteenth State Title
- Surgical Technology Program Named To The Elite 20
- Meet Foundation Scholarship Recipients
- Indian Masters to Present Yoga Sutra Workshops on Campus
- What is Invitational Education?
- Welcome, New Employees
- Small Business Center News
- Smith-McDowell House Museum Features Mourning Traditions, Ghosts
- World Connections Committee Announces Upcoming Events
- Tech Notes
Regional Economy $400 Million Stronger Due to A-B Tech
A-B Tech students see a 23 percent rate of return on their educational investment, recovering all costs in six years, according to a socioeconomic impact of education study by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc.
The A-B Tech service area economy annually receives nearly $400 million in income due to past and present efforts of A-B Tech. This figure amounts to roughly 4.4 percent of the area's total annual income, according to a socioeconomic impact of education study by Economic Modeling Specialists Inc. (EMSI) .
The study, covering the 2008 fiscal year, presented an investment analysis from the perspective of students and taxpayers and an economic growth analysis to determine the relative contribution of A-B Tech to regional income.
The report concluded that A-B Tech plays a significant role in the local economy and is a sound investment from multiple perspectives. Students benefit from improved lifestyles and increased earnings. Taxpayers benefit from a larger economy and lower social costs. The community as a whole benefits from increased job and investment opportunities, higher business revenues, greater availability of public funds and an eased tax burden.
Other findings included:
- Students see their annual income increase by $162 per year for every credit completed at A-B Tech.
- A-B Tech students generate about $25.1 million annually in higher earnings due to their education.
- A total of 26,479 credit and non-credit students attended the College during the fiscal year. About 81 percent of the students stay in the region initially after they leave A-B Tech, contributing to the local economy.
- Throughout his/her working career, the average A-B Tech student's discounted lifetime income increases by $5.20 for every $1 invested in college.
- Students see a 23 percent rate of return on their A-B Tech educational investment, recovering all costs (including wages foregone) in six years.
- A-B Tech yields a return on government investment. State and local government allocated about $34 million in support of A-B Tech. For every $1 of this support, taxpayers see a cumulative return of $2.40 over the course of students' working careers in the form of higher tax receipts and avoided social costs.
Complete Socioeconomic Impact of Education Study Results
Culinary Team Wins Thirteenth State Title
Members of the state championship culinary team from A-B Tech are from left, Michael Aanonsen, Anna McClintock, Travis McCloud, Steven Goff and Shannon Ginn.
A-B Tech's student culinary team won first place in the American Culinary Federation's (ACF) N.C. State Student Hot Food Competition Jan. 10 at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh. A team from A-B Tech has won the state competition every year since 1996, except for 2002 when the College did not have a team.
Chefs John Hofland, Charles deVries and Michelle Kelley coached team members Michael Aanonsen, Anna McClintock, Travis McCloud, Steven Goff and Shannon Ginn. They will advance to the Southeast Regional competition April 18-20 in Charlotte with a chance to go to national competition. A-B Tech's 2007 culinary team took national honors in Orlando, Fla.
"We are extremely pleased with the results. Four of our team members returned from last year and they worked very hard this last semester," deVries said. "The caliber of the other teams made for a tight competition."
The students competed against teams from the Art Institute of Charlotte, Johnson & Wales and Wake Tech, preparing a four-course meal in one and a half hours. Two certified executive chefs and one certified master chef served as judges, scoring students on taste, presentation, timeliness, and accuracy.
"The judges were incredible with the openness of their critiques to make this a remarkable learning experience for all the competitors," deVries said.
The A-B Tech team prepared paupiettes de sole a la Trouvillaise for its appetizer and the salad was mixed greens with pine nut encrusted Brie and tomato jam. The entrée consisted of roast pork tenderloin, tourneed potatoes and Swiss chard with apple brandy demi-glace. Topping off the meal was a dessert of hazelnut cream with blood orange and lemon sauces.
Surgical Technology Program Named To The Elite 20
A-B Tech's Surgical Technology program was named to the Association of Surgical Technologists Program Assessment Examination Elite 20 Program.
A-B Tech's Surgical Technology program has been ranked 15th nationally out of 450 accredited programs for high student scores on the program exam from July 31, 2007 to Aug. 1, 2008.
"This is quite an honor for our program and is evidence of the dedication and hard work of the outstanding students and faculty in Surgical Technology," said Ned Fowler, dean of Allied Health and Public Service Education. "We are fortunate to have such an experienced and capable faculty who are willing to go the extra mile to help their students achieve success."
The ranking made the College's Surgical Technology program a member of the Association of Surgical Technologists Program Assessment Examination Elite 20 Program. The exam is used as a component for the accreditation system. A-B Tech began offering Surgical Technology in 2002.
"This ranking shows the hard work that goes into instilling in our students the highest of peri-operative standards, which is what our Western North Carolina surgical facilities demand for their surgical patients. This is achieved not only by our instructional staff here at A-B Tech, but also by the surgical clinical site preceptors who mentor our students," said Robin Keith, Surgical Technology chair.
Tech Talk is published by the Communications Office for employees and friends of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
Editor: Mona Cornwell, Writer: Martha Ball, Designers: Justin Page, April Sides
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